Author: paula.mcgrew@gmail.com

Agnes Howard Stories

As Halloween approaches and rumors of strange goings-on are passed along, tradition carries us to the tales that stay close to us, especially on Wesleyan’s campus.  Nothing could be more fascinating or more mysterious than the stories through the years of what used to be called the “Ladies’ Hall”, now known as Agnes Howard Hall.  Although the classical stories of ghostly voices and paranormal proceedings have never really been investigated, it brings us to mind of the tragedies of the early days that have not been completely forgotten. One such story  is of one student and her short time here at Wesleyan.

Agnes Howard and Her Family

Much of what we know about Agnes Howard comes from a  letter to the college from her younger sister, Helen.  In that letter we learn that their mother, Audree Ford, was a graduate of the old Seminary in 1896 and had lived in the new ladies’ dormitory for a while – likely when it was brand new in 1895. The story goes that she was being courted by C.D. Howard, and he had to ask permission from then President Hutchinson to take her on buggy rides around town.  It was a very romantic thing to do in those days.

Agnes was the second child of five, four girls and one boy.  Her older sister, Edna, was already going to school here and two younger sisters would attend later.  Helen, one of those younger sisters, sent a letter to the college in the mid 1990s, a few years before she died, telling us what little we know of Agnes.  She was 5’ 8,” tall for a young woman, and had dark brown hair which looked black to most. Helen says of her, “She was vivacious, outgoing, athletic.” She played sports and her favorite activity seemed to be riding horses.  One of the few photos we have of her is on a horse with two other students. Agnes is the one to the far right.

In her senior year of high school Agnes developed what we would now refer to as “rheumatoid arthritis”, particularly in her knees.  Her mother took her to Little Rock Arkansas for time in some famous therapeutic baths and she improved enough to go to college. She arrived at Wesleyan for the 1916 fall term and lived in the Ladies’ Hall.  She was fine up to February of 1917 when she started getting sick. She apparently finished the year and went home, never to return. She died on December 21, 1917. Her death certificate only says from “complication”.  Interesting but not unusual in those days. After discussing this with others who have done work on her life, we think that possibly the influenza might have caught her in her weakened state and that is what took her life.  Sad that she never got to finish her schooling here.

Agnes  is buried in the family plot in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Cowen, Webster County, West Virginia. There was no truth to the rumor that she died in the dormitory.  Perhaps it had been thought of by those who came after.

Her father, Clarence D. Howard, served as a Trustee at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1906-1934. He gave generously to the college, and was in hopes of giving even more before the great depression in 1929 caused financial reverses for him. In West Virginia Wesleyan College: First 50 Years 1890-1940, Thomas W. Haught writes:

Mr. Howard’s eldest daughter, Edna, had graduated from the College with the class of 1918. His second daughter, Agnes, had entered the College and was in residence at the dormitory. The suddenness of her passing from the apparent bloom of health, also the universal esteem in which she was held by reason of the rare combination of spiritual attributes that were hers, made a deep and lasting impression on all who knew her. Instinctively, one and all felt that to make the dormitory her memorial would be not only a fitting tribute to her, but would be an equally fitting recognition of the generosity of a man who literally went about seeking opportunities to convert his material prosperity into the finest fruits of the spirit.

Four children of Audree and Clarence Howard have been students at Wesleyan:

  • Edna, graduated in the class of 1918
  • Agnes, who tragically did not live to graduate
  • Helen, graduated from the college in 1924
  • Elsie, graduated from the Normal School in 1933

Haught writes that, “Mr. Howard’s generous patronage in sending four children to the College was an expression of his confidence in the aims and purposes of the institution; and his unstinted financial backing of its program spoke eloquently of his deep interest in its welfare.”

A brother, Harry F. Howard, attended the Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, VA.

And now for the stories:

Through more recent years there have been stories of unusual happenings occurring, all on the fourth floor.  We don’t really know at this time if this is the floor that Agnes lived on, but many surmise that it is. The fact is that any stories of this nature that have been recorded have all come from students living on this floor.  Doors opening and closing, objects being relocated, sounds of movement but no visual sightings, and one instance of a resident student’s name being whispered in her ear three times have all been told and reported. There were even a few tales of feeling pressure on their bodies as if someone was sitting on them.  Nothing has ever been corroborated but they do add to the mystique of the building and the ongoing legend that is Aggie’s legacy. Nonetheless, no new stories have been told for some time so it is hard to imagine anything factual to all of these stories. However……..

Agnes Howard will go on as being a piece of the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College.  As we move further away from the past and move farther into the future, her time here becomes a smaller and smaller piece of the Wesleyan story.  Her painting hangs in the lobby of the hall that bears her name and you can decide how well the artist depicted her beauty and vigor. She will be forever a part of West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Note:  information on the strange occurrences credited to Linda Loudin Wygal of the Upshur County Historical Society.


The Legacy Continues:

In the spring of 2017, as I was teaching a class on WVWC history, I had just finished reading Helen Hunter’s letter to the class one afternoon when a student raised her hand to ask if she could add something. Of course, I was anxious to hear what she had to say. I assumed that she had a story of her own about the ghostly happenings in Agnes Howard Hall.

Much to my surprise, Lauren Bolen’s addition was much more than that. It turns out that Helen Howard Hunter was her Great Grandmother! Thereby, Agnes Howard was her Great Great Aunt, and Audree Ford Howard and Clarence D. Howard were her Great Great Grandparents.

The spirit of life and love that Agnes brought with her to Buckhannon lives on. Even those who have experienced strange occurrences say that they never feel threatened – but rather that Agnes has a way of pranking people. This would tend to fit with the description from her family.

The legacy also lives on. Helen Howard Hunter, class of 1924 (daughter of Audree, class of 1896; Great Grandmother of Lauren Bolen, class of 2020) ends her letter by saying, “I might add that Agnes was a favorite with young and old, probably because she was so fun-loving. She would like your calling the hall “Aggie Howard”.  At Agnes’ funeral service, one of the floral wreaths had these words: “Too Soon”. How true!

Click here for more information about Agnes Howard Hall.

I’m trying something new! If you have stories about hauntings in Agnes Howard, Atkinson Auditorium, or other campus locations, click here to submit them.

Gifts and Gratitude

This week, something has come up again and again. While at first glance, these events may appear totally unrelated, they share a common theme.

Generosity, Thankfulness, and Appreciation are linked – frontwards and backwards. And further, they are self-perpetuating.

Throughout this past week, I have had conversations about these things with my class, as they asked – and answered – some interesting questions. It began with the gift of over $11 million dollars from the estate of Thomas Albinson. This was followed on Monday by a dedication ceremony for a bench out on campus.

Example 1: Tom Albinson Estate Gift of $11 million

Because Tom Albinson appreciated his experience at Wesleyan during his college days, especially his friendship and mentorship of Professor Franck Bayard, he left money to Wesleyan to help strengthen and expand the Business Department, Media Studies, and the College Radio Station. People and activities that had impacted his life were never forgotten.

The announcement came during the Founders Day Convocation, and was a complete surprise to the gathered crowd. Many jaws dropped, and a murmur went through Wesley Chapel.

Why would anyone give that much money? The connections made in the 1970s were powerful and transformative.

Generosity-Thankfulness-Appreciation.

Example 2: Bench Dedication

On the Monday following Founders Day, I had my class meet out in front of the library for a bench dedication instead of in the classroom. It was a chilly morning, and the family of David and Dot DuBois had come long distances to dedicate a bench in memory of their parents.

Although they did not complain (at least to me), the body language of the class before the dedication ceremony began indicated that it was really cold out there and to stand outside for the purpose of dedicating a bench might mean that I had lost my mind. After the ceremony, however, they wrote reflections telling how much they had enjoyed being part of such a ceremony. They look forward to sitting on the bench and thinking about the students who had come before them. They felt connected to the DuBois Family, and will now be searching for David and Dot as we continue studying college history this semester. They even enjoyed the singing of the Alma Mater out in the middle of the campus.

The family told great stories of how their parents had fallen in love at Wesleyan, and how in later years the entire family would come to campus each year for Annual Conference. The place had made quite an impact on them.  This bench, dedicated to their memory would be a place for current and future students sit and study or ponder.

At the end of the discussions (and a visit from Bob Skinner to tell them more about the Albinson Gift, the DuBois family, and others who have made gifts), my class and I have come to the following conclusions.

Why give a gift? (Generosity)

  • In Appreciation – In honor or in memory of someone or something or because you are thankful for someone or something.
  • To Celebrate – Holidays and Life Events such as birthdays, graduations, marriages, anniversaries, new baby, new job, new home. Generally involves gifts to individuals or small groups of people such as families.
  • To Support – To give aid for disaster relief, research, personal or institutional needs, etc.  There are thousands of people and causes in need of support.
  • To Surprise – For no reason at all other than to surprise a person. Often done out of appreciation or generosity.

How to receive a gift? (Thankfulness)

  • An initial Thankfulness for the generosity of the giver might include a thank you card or letter as well as verbal thanks.
  • Honor the gift by recognizing the generosity of the giver.
  • Thankfulness tends to focus on the appreciation of the gift.

Thankful for gift and giver (Appreciation)

  • Connections are made between the giver and the receiver.
  • A deeper understanding of the importance of the gift is involved on the part of the receiver — while often the gift is given in the first place because the giver appreciates the receiver.
  • Taking the time and effort to truly know about both the giver and the value of the friendship and your connection as well as that of the gift.

Gifts can be as simple as a smile, a hug, or an encouraging word or as huge as an $11.4 million dollar donation. The result is a greater connection and a stronger community – one that extends beyond time and place.

The gifts we encountered this week were given because Tom Albinson and the DuBois family recognized the value of Wesleyan and what happens here. They were not responding to a need only, but to the value. This is true of countless others as well who have been Generous, Thankful and Appreciative.

Walking with the Class of ’69

This past weekend was full of great events and a lot of fun. This post, if I tried to write about all of the things I saw and the people I met, would be way too long! Don’t be surprised when you see things slipping in for the next few weeks.

For today, I would like to tell about one of the first things that happened. I was asked to help lead a tour of campus for some of the members of the Class of 1969. The group was about 35 people including some of the spouses and friends who did not join in the photo.

Since it was a big group, I invited some of the students in my First Year Seminar class to come along and mingle in with the group. They have been studying the history of WVWC, and in particular we had just talked about 1969 last week. They were excited to meet people who had been students at that time when Wesley Chapel was being built, as well as Christopher Hall of Science, and they were not disappointed.

If anything, they found that this livey group of people who graduated 50 years ago, was a fun-loving group with lots of memories and stories.  A group who greeted each other with hugs and tears and laughter and stories. They discovered that in the group were homecoming queens, people who had gone one to earn PhD degrees and had taught at universities, and a few people who were coming back to campus for the very first time. They were real people with real stories.

Last week, when we talked about the construction of Christopher Hall of Science and Wesley Chapel, the students in my class had speculated about how students felt about being here at such a time. They had guessed that students were excited, amazed with the buildings, that they felt lucky to be here at such a momentous time in the history of the college. Everything was growing and changing! When asked on Friday what they remembered about that time, the group answer was unanimous as they answered with one word…..in unison……MUD!

Stories

As we walked, the stories flowed.

When the class of ’69 arrived on campus, the Benedum Campus Community Center and Holloway hall were just two years old.

There was apparently some discussion on campus when it came to naming the new dormatory, which had been opened one year earlier. Known as New Hall, many of these students had taken to naming it after themselves……until the administration officially named it Paul G. Benedum Hall.

Other things that came up:

  • Jenkins Cafeteria memories were many – and amazement at the Wellness Center
  • Required Chapel — they remembered Atkinson as well as Wesley Chapel
  • Curfews and strict rules for girls
  • Could not wear jeans!
  • Food in the library???????? And MILKSHAKES???????   No way!!!

The class of ’69 seemed to approve of the changes. The students (aspiring members of the class of 2023) were enthralled as well as a little bit taken aback when told, “One day you will be US!!!”

So Many Stories – So Little Time

The interest was high. The time was short. I promised the folks on the tour that I would make some more information available. Enjoy!

Other Resources

Chronology of Buildings

Full List of Blog Entries can be found on DreamersAndGiants.com

The Spring 2019 Emeritus Newsletter, which featured a welcome to the Class of 1969 into that elite group of people, included a story about how all of the buildings were named. You can read it here. 

Especially of interest to the Class of 1969:

From Social Disorganization to Social Justice

Images in Bronze 

Marching in the Footsteps of Dreamers 

Searching for Shalom (Daniel Stein, ‘69) 

Wesley Chapel: Sermon on the Mount Shines Through West Virginia Glass

Wesley Chapel: Stories Behind the Soaring Sound

Wesley Chapel: They’ve Seen it All….And They Speak

WVWC Choir Sang at Uniting Conference in Dallas….50 Years Ago Today (April 26, 1968)

From the 1969 Murmurmontis, pages 44 and 45. Click here to see it full size.

Alumni and Speakers and Trustees, Oh My

Founders Day is coming up on Friday of this week.

It is, to be sure, a time to say thanks to those who planted the college here in Buckhannon in 1890. We thank them by highlighting examples of how their dreams have turned to reality.

Photo by Robbie Skinner, Class of 2011

Alumni

Graduates of WVWC have excelled in all walks of life. They have done heroic things. They are leaders in science, education, government, political realms, music, healthcare, business, sports, and religious eneavors. The education they received here set them on paths that have led them all over the world to make a difference. Each year, we honor some, but for each one that receives this honor there are hundreds who would be deserving recipients.

Alumni Service and Achievement Awards

Young Alumni Service and Achievement Awards

The Extra Mile Award is also offered – sometimes to Alumni (and sometimes to people who we would love to claim!)

 Speakers

In 1933, Bishop Adna W. Leonard (Resident Bishop of the Pittsburgh Area of the Methodist Episcopal Church) spoke at an event that became known as Bishop’s Day. It was a day set aside to celebrate the college and church connections springing from our original Founders. Bishop Leonard and his successor, Bishop James H. Straughn were generally the speakers for that event, and it was held in Atkinson Chapel. Bishop Straughn changed the name of the event in 1941 to be known as Founders Day.

In 1952, the dedication of the New Men’s Residence Hall (which we now know as Fleming Hall) was mentioned in the October, 1952 issue of the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin:

The program marks the observance of Founders Day, a tradition instituted by Bishop Straughn while the resident bishop of the Pittsburgh area and originally known as Bishop’s Day.”

In the 1950s speakers other than bishops were included, and they were a mixture of prominent Methodist leaders, heads of foundations, civil rights leaders, and alumni who had risen to the ranks of leadership in many areas of work. Some were also Trustees of the college.

On Founders Day 1989, the speaker was Carl Rowan. He was a journalist who began his career by covering the Civil Rights Movement in the south as one of the country’s first African-American reporters at a major daily newspaper. Later in his life, he became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the Ambassador to Finland. In the year before he retired in 1965, he was the Director of the United States Information Agency.  He spoke on the real value of an education.

Carl Rowan interviewed by Sarah Lowther (Class of 1984) for West Virginia Public Radio

Another speaker that stands out as I look through the list is J. Roy Price. A member of the class of 1923, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1949. At the Founders Day Convocation on October 28, 1955, Dr. Price presented  the Founders Day Address entitled A Charter for a College of Liberal Arts. This charter looks both back and toward the future. A Trustee from 1949-73, you can read more about him here.

These are but a couple of examples, but there have been many powerful Founders Day  speakers challenging us to keep going and to keep growing.

Trustees

Trustees are present at the Founders Day Convocation, and new ones sign the book which has the names of the leaders and decision makers throughout the years. Some, but not all, are also Alumni. Some, but not all, are United Methodists. All have been duly elected by the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church…..who started the entire story.

Leaders of church, government, industry, medicine, law, business, and more, the Trustees are those who guide and make decisions and hire presidents. They are people who are dedicated to West Virginia Wesleyan College. Some, but not all, have been Founders Day Speakers.

Alumni and Speakers and Trustees, Oh My.

I hope that the Founders are proud of the school that they planted so long ago.

It’s The Little Things Working Together

On a recent Field Trip Friday excursion with my First Year Seminar class, one of the students made a discovery.

The Field Trip included five stops to look at some important plaques and markers that often go unnoticed. It included a trip into Haymond Hall of Science (after studying about the beginnings of that building during the week). It included a stop in the Sleeth Gallery in McCuskey Hall.

On the way into McCuskey, I happened to point out a small sculpture which was attached to the side of the building.

Photo by Ellen Mueller (2015)

When all was said and done, it was this sculpture that inspired one student to action. I explained that it was part of a series which had been installed on campus in 2015 by Ellen Mueller, who at that time was a faculty member in the Art Department. Click here to read more about Ellen.

A couple of days later, I received an email with photos of all of the pieces in the project. The student and a friend (not even in the class) had spent hours examining each building on the campus to try and locate the entire project. Beyond being intrigued by the pieces themselves, they found that they had many questions about the reason for these tiny sculptures and what the artist may have been thinking about.

Synergism

Ellen’s project was named Synergism. That word translates loosely to “working together” and that there are things that work better when combined together than they do as individual components. You can read more about it on her website.

In this project, there are five office-related objects, 3-D modeled in SketchUp and printed in 3-D in matte bronze steel by Shapeways. Each is designed to fit into a corner-space and are attached to buildings on the campus.

The Synergism project was featured in a journal article by Tiffany Funk in NMC/Media-N  (Spring 2015; Vol. 11, No. 02).

Ellen Mueller’s Synergism series (2015) demonstrates how subversive, radical discourse can take the form of small-scale interventions. The series consists of 3D modeled bronze-steel sculptures, ranging from three to eight inches, of office paraphernalia installed in a variety of institutional spaces, including office buildings, city halls, DMVs, post offices, and schools.

Though Synergism takes its inspiration from street art, it disrupts institutional architecture through corporate camouflage; by mimicking the bronze, classical sculptures often gracing entrances and lobbies, while drastically reducing their scale, these absurd interventions signify larger issues of the effects of workplace monetization, namely the objectification of individuals.

Office Chair located on McCuskey Hall
Clipboards located on the Benedum Campus Community Center
Filing Cabinets located on the Lynch-Raine Administration Building
Keyboards located on the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library
Staplers located on the O’Roark Nordstrom Welcome Center

Synergism in Curriculum

When I looked up the word Synergism in the Credo Reference database on the library webpage, there were 668 results returned. They were from many disciplines, including usage of the word in:

  • Art
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Communication
  • Computer Science
  • Education
  • Environmental Science
  • Medicine
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Religion
  • Social Sciences
  • Toxicology

It occurred to me that all of these things contribute to what we call a Liberal Arts Education. Each one of the areas is important on its own, but combined together they are even greater. Synergism.

Collaborations, Connections,  and Explanations

While I gave the best explanation that I could when asked about these pieces of art, I realized that I could do a much better job if I consulted the artist and made a connection with the student in that way. I asked Brenlyn what she would ask the artist if she could. Here are her questions and Ellen’s answers.

Question: Why Office Supplies and furniture? Why not art supplies or artists, or dogs, or panda bears or something?

Answer: I picked office supplies/furniture because I was very interested in bureaucracy and the systems that guide our everyday lives. These objects are completely intertwined with carrying out those systems of order.

Question: Why these particular buildings? How did you decide where to put them?

Answer: I put them on these buildings because I wanted to spread them out over the whole campus, and these buildings felt well-spread out from each other.

Question: How did you come up with this whole project in the first place?

Answer: I came up with the idea because I like bureaucracy from a personal point of view (I like things to be orderly), but I am also driven crazy by bureaucracy sometimes because I like to get things done, and it can slow things down!

Happy Birthday, Annie

Annie Merner Pfeiffer is a name that is familiar to us on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College. It is the name on our library.  When people notice that the library is named for her, they assume that she might have been a librarian here or maybe a faculty member. The truth is that Annie Merner Pfeiffer never set foot on the campus.

So why name a building after her? Especially one so central to the educational mission of the school?

Annie Merner Pfeiffer

Born on September 23, 1860 (159 years ago on the day I am writing this) in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, Annie Merner was educated in the public schools of Ontario. At the age of 22, she married Henry Pfeiffer.

Henry, born in Lewiston, Pennsylvania in 1857, moved with his family to Cedar Falls, Iowa when he was young. He worked in the retail drug business early in his career before moving to St. Louis, Missouri for a position in the drug manufacturing business. He founded the Pfeiffer Chemical Company in St. Louis in 1901 and in 1908 purchased William R. Warner & Company in Philadelphia.

According to his obituary in the New York Times (April 14, 1939):

Under his direction the Warner company, which had been founded in 1851, became oneof the leading manufacturers of drugs, pharmaceuticals and chemicals used in the drug trade. The company now maintains factories in New York and St. Louis and in fifteen foreign countries.

Philanthropy

Annie and Henry had no children of their own, and subscribed to the philosophy of Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth,” written in 1889, which said that those who were wealthy had an obligation to use that wealth to help others.

Like many of those who amassed great wealth in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Pfeiffers wanted to use their wealth to endow institutions that would build a strong and educated society – places like colleges,universities, and libraries.

Recipients of funds from Henry and Annie Merner Pfeiffer for colleges and universities, both in the United States and abroad, included:

  • Colegio Ward (Buenos Aires)
  • Yenching University (Peiping, China)
  • Ewha College (Seoul, Korea)
  • Albright College (Reading, PA)
  • Bennett College (Greensboro, NC)
  • Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA)
  • North Central College (Naperville, IL)
  • Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH)
  • Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
  • Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, OH)
  • Pfeiffer Junior College (Misenheimer, NC)
  • West Virginia Wesleyan College (Buckhannon, WV)
  • Tennessee Wesleyan University (Athens, TN)

This list is not complete. The thing that they had in common were connections to the Methodist Episcopal Church and the fact that they were private liberal arts schools. There were many others, and also scholarships for the students as well.

Annie Merner Pfeiffer was also a Member of the board for the New York Deaconess Association and Methodist Church Home.  The purpose of this institution was to prepare women for all branches of home and foreign missionary work.

Henry died in 1939, and a foundation was set up to continue the work that they had started. President Broyles had been talking with Annie Merner Pfeiffer in regards to a gift for our much-needed library. He died suddenly on September 29, 1945, but the day that his successor, Dr. William Scarborough, was elected by the Board of Trustees one of his first official acts was to announce that she had committed to a gift of $100,000 for the library – with two conditions.

To read this issue, click here.

We read in Kenneth Plummer’s book, A History of West Virginia Wesleyan College, that:

(1) funds were to be made available when construction of the building commenced

(2) at least two other buildings of equal cost were to be constructed at the same time. [Note: this turned out to be L.L. Loar Memorial Hall of Music and Fine Arts and Fleming Hall]

In her will, Mrs. Pfeiffer also left a substantial amount of money to the Methodist General Board of Education for distribution at its discretion. Upon recommendation of Dr. John O. Gross, secretary of the board, Wesleyan was given subsequently an additional $50,000 for the library fund.

As one who has lived in that building for many years (first as a Library Science major, then as a staff member, and as Director of Library Services for a decade), I would like to thank Annie Merner Pfeiffer for her generosity which has had a deep impact on my life.

Happy Birthday, Annie Merner Pfeiffer! And Thank You.

Lawrence Sherwood: Inspired and Inspiring

Lawrence Franklin Sherwood Jr., a young man from Roncevert, West Virginia,  graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1947.

While a student, Lawrence was very active on campus including:

  • Sigma Alpha Sigma (Local Scholarship Society)
  • Alpha Psi Omega (National Dramatic Fraternity)
  • Playshop
  • Ministerial Association
  • Christian Service Fellowship
  • Community Council
  • Student Union Council
  • Awards Committee
  • Religious Activities Committee
Christian Service Fellowship, 1947. One of their projects that year was to hold Sunday services for the mentally ill at the Weston State Hospital.

Seen in this photo seated next to Dr. Ralph C. Brown on the front row, Lawrence Sherwood’s student days brought him into close contact with Giant faculty members and mentors. In particular, his interactions with Dr. George Glauner (who taught History from 1922-66) and Dr. Ralph C. Brown (who taught Bible and Religion from 1922-61) seem to have greatly impacted his life’s work. Dr. Brown was an ordained Methodist Minister, and Dr. Glauner was an active preacher as well. Both were members of the West Virginia Annual Conference.

Harvey Harmer,  WVWC Trustee from 1906-37 and Trustee Emeritus 1937-61, was also very active in the West Virginia Methodist Historical Society, and was likely an influence and source of great information for young Lawrence.  Both Harmer and Glauner served as the top officer in the Methodist Historical Society for multiple terms.

Lawrence Sherwood was honored with a Doctor of Divinity Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1964. I would imagine that few people in attendance could have been prouder of him than Dr. Brown and Dr. Glauner.

Beyond Campus

Lawrence did not limit his leadership to campus. He was also very active in state and regional organizations, even as World War II raged and created hardships at home and abroad. For example:

  • In April 1946 he was elected state treasurer for the Methodist Student Movement.

The United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History includes this description of the Methodist Student Movement:

The Methodist Student Movement has its direct roots with the Wesley Foundation campus ministries which was founded by James Baker in 1913 at the University of Illinois. With the intellectual and political higher landscape became more complex after World War 1 and the great Depression, there created a need to provide a progressive pastoral, yet prophetic, style of ministries for this new kind of college student. In 1938, the Methodist Student Movement was born in anticipation of church union among the three largest American Methodist bodies in 1939. Methodist college and seminary students now had a national platform to press forward their concerns on how the church specifically and society generally should be shaped while drawing on the vast resources of the new denomination to sustain its momentum. MSM was organized geographically by jurisdictions, regions and states along with a national board to promote its varied social interests of race, war, peace, ecumenism, new theologies, and art. Perhaps their greatest legacy comes in the form of their cutting edge magazine called motive. The movement’s high point of national influence came during the 1950 and 1960’s when American society began to radically reexamine its norms and mores which created great social upheaval. By 1969, the Methodist Student Movement burned itself out and disbanded to make room for a new focus on more ecumenical understanding rather than denominational.

  • In November 1946 he attended the regional Student Christian Movement meeting at Jackson’s Mill.
  • In April 1947 he served as a delegate to the Northeast Jurisdictional Spiritual Life Conference held at Auburn University.

West Virginia Annual Conference

1947 was a big year for Lawrence. Besides graduating from WVWC, he became a provisional member of the West Virginia Annual Conference.

Proceeding to Garrett Theological Seminary for further study, Lawrence earned his masters degree in 1949. That same year he received his Deacons Orders. The following year he was ordained Elder and became a full member of the conference, serving from 1950 until his retirement in 1996. The work that he did in that 46 year period of time is unmeasurable in terms of lives he touched.

Of course, retirement just gave him more time to pursue his love of Methodist History, both in West Virginia and denomination-wide.

History Hero

On June 10, 2011, at Annual Conference, Lawrence Sherwood was presented a Distinguished Historian Award for his historical research, writing, and teaching.

ARCHIVES AND HISTORY: Ginnie Lowther (clergy, Retired and Chair of
Archives and History) highlighted the upcoming celebration of the 225th anniversary of Old Rehoboth. She then introduced Lawrence Sherwood (clergy, retired) who has written a new book, “Francis Asbury Tours in West Virginia.” After reading a portion of Asbury’s diary, he presented a copy of the book to Bishop Grove and one for Bishop Lyght. Joe Kenaston (clergy, Lewisburg) shared insights about Bishop Francis Asbury. Rev. Kenaston will be portraying Bishop Asbury at the celebration at Old Rehoboth. Ginnie Lowther and Bill Wilson (clergy, Director of Connectional Ministries) presented Lawrence Sherwood with a plaque designating him as “Distinguished Historian,” citing his many years of dedication to the history of the conference.

Along with work in the West Virginia Annual Conference on the Methodist Historical Society, and later the Commission on Archives and History,  Lawrence was recognized beyond the borders of the conference for his historical work.

Left to Right: Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, Lawrence Sherwood, and Dr. Robert S. Conte, Historian. (Photo by Dewayne R. Lowther)

In 2014, he was honored by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History with a History Hero Award. His citation read:

A retired United Methodist pastor, Lawrence Franklin Sherwood Jr. serves on the West Virginia Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History. He was a charter member of the conference historical society and its first vice president, and he also has served as a vice president of the National Association of Methodist Historical Societies. For many years, Sherwood has been considered the “Historian in Residence” of the annual conference and in 2011 he was presented a Distinguished Historian Award for his historical research, writing, and teaching. His publications include “History of West Virginia Methodism” (1964) and The Tours of Bishop Francis Asbury in West Virginia, 1776-1815″ (2011).

In June of 2018, Lawrence Sherwood was one of two national recipients of the Ministry of Memory Award which was presented by the Historical Society of the United Methodist Church.

Tribute to Lawrence Sherwood

Lawrence Sherwood died on September 6, 2019 at the age of 93. He was at that time the longest-serving minister in the West Virginia Annual Conference.

Bishop William Boyd Grove wrote a beautiful tribute to him, which was shared on social media as well as read at his memorial service. It says exactly what I have been trying to say.

Today, while my body has been in Tennessee, my mind and spirit have been in Oakland Maryland with the family and friends of my dear friend and colleague.

Lawrence Sherwood
A tribute

He made Old Rehobeth new again.
He taught us who we have been,
Pioneers of the Spirit,
And who, by grace, we might be again.

He introduced us to those riders of the circuit
Who slept by campfires,
And read their bibles
By the light of the moon.

He quickened our spirts so we could ride with Asbury,
“Prophet of the long road;”
Crossing the mountains, fording rivers
Of what we would one day call
“Almost Heaven!”

When the angels came for him
He was senior member of his conference;
The longest link in the chain
Of what has been.

When he arrived at “the house not made with hands,”
Waiting by the door was Bishop Asbury!
Welcome home Lawrence.
I’ve been waiting a long time for you!”

William Boyd Grove

Friends and Family

There is something special about the people who knew you during the times when you were becoming the person you are. First it is the family that you were born into.

Fun fact: all of the people in this picture are graduates of WVWC, and there were others who came along later.

Later on, that circle widens to include those who were there when you were figuring out who you were, who you wanted to be, and what path you wanted to  follow for your life’s journey. Those who share that time of transition to adulthood with you hold a very special place in our hearts throughout our lives.

WVWC Sisters

This past week a group of WVWC friends met for lunch. We have seen each other sporadically through the years, and shared Christmas cards complete with pictures of the children who came along.  In recent years, we have taken to getting together for lunch every year or so. We have entertained various waiters and waitresses with our laughter and the telling of stories. (We always leave a nice tip in appreciation of their patience with us.)  LOL

We did the math this week, and were shocked to realize that we met 45 years ago when most of us were living in the same hallway in McCuskey Hall our freshman year at WVWC.  None of us were math majors, so we checked and double checked those numbers because we could not believe that the number could be correct. The years melted away immediately as they always do.

Jill Okes-Kinkade, Joyce Reneau Okes, Quinn, , Del Marie Lewis Brenn, Robin Barb Throckmorton, Kim Walls, Jane White, Paula McGrew.

We were also joined by Joyce’s daughter, Jill (who now works on the staff at WVWC) and by the next generation….Quinn Okes-Kinkade. Jill and my daughter also met during freshman year in their First Year Seminar class and have now been friends as well for nearly fifteen years! (More ridiculous math!)

Over the years we have celebrated marriages, births of children (and grandchildren), retirements, and various awards and honors.

We have supported each other through family deaths, battles with cancer, miscarriages, and other storms of life.

We have cheered on successes and provided a good place to vent frustrations.

There were many others who were not present at this lunch, but who are in touch often…even if only on Facebook. We keep up on the happenings in each other’s lives and support or celebrate there. Not quite as good as in person, but it keeps us connected between in-person gatherings.

Some of us found life partners during our college years, and have the added benefit of being able to tell college stories of shared experiences every day. This group is known as Wesleyan Sweethearts, and there have been more than 1,000 such couples.

Many people share this type of friendship. You can see it first-hand when you attend the homecoming activities in the fall. Alumni magazine articles tell of friends that travel together, have regular gatherings with other WVWC graduates in the areas where they live, or who show up in each other’s weddings.

I see these same types of friendships, for example, with my daughter’s group of Wesleyan friends.

Your role changes, but still you are part of these relationships. Sometimes:

  • you are the parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle
  • you are the child
  • you are the student
  • you are the teacher
  • you are the classmate
  • you are the co-worker
  • you are the freshman year roommate, or the person who lives down the hall

In the past few weeks, I have watched as students in my First Year Seminar class have begun to make these kinds of friendships as well. For now, with fellow students. Soon, with faculty and staff who will cheer their success (in and out of the classroom) and will challenge them to be their best, and who will support them along that journey. Who knows? Some may come back to be co-workers and fellow faculty members! It has happened before.

When people at WVWC talk about their Wesleyan Family or their Home Among the Hills, it is not just a figure of speech. It is a real thing!

Opening Day: September 3, 1890

Seminary Building 1890 Catalog Drawing
Drawing of Seminary Building in 1890 Catalog

September 3, 1890

The day was finally here. Opening day for the West Virginia Conference Seminary, which was the realization of the dreams and hard work of many.  Trustees had been working hard to make this a dream a reality: quality education for both boys and girls; non-sectarian. It was the dream of many Methodists from West Virginia, one which required many years of meetings, resolutions, fundraising and proposals. It was also the result of hard physical labor by those who dug the clay from campus grounds, made the bricks, and created the building itself.

One Building

The Seminary Building, the lone building, was described in the Prospectus:

The splendid new Seminary building is the best school or college building in the state; beautiful, substantial, convenient, and admirably adapted to school purposes. It is of brick, 106 x 80 feet, three stories in height, and stands upon an eminence overlooking the river and town.

According to Kenneth Plummer, in his book A History of West Virginia Wesleyan College, there was no money for furnishings and equipment. Gifts and loans from trustees and friends made it possible to aquire enough of these things for the school to open. For example, the money for chairs for the chapel and classrooms was advanced by The Rev. Dr. John W. Reger, a trustee of the school.

Six faculty members
From Thomas W. Haught’s West Virginia Wesleyan College, The First Forty Years 1890-1940, p.55

Like the building, the faculty was not yet quite complete. By the end of the first year, in June 1891, six more teachers had been added:

  • Professor D.M. McIver (Business Department)
  • Mrs. Alma G. McIver (Business Department)
  • Mr. W. H. Atha (Business Department)
  • Miss Ida V. Kent (Voice Culture and Piano)
  • Miss Maude McFarland (Drawing and Painting)
  • Mr. D.E. Phillips (Normal School Subjects and English)
70 students (first term)

The first 10-week term, there were 70 students enrolled.

Roy Reger graduate of WVU 1898
Photo from the West Virginia OnView, from WVU Libraries

The first one to sign the register was Roy Reger. He later writes about that experience and describes life on campus in a letter which you can read here.

Trustees

There were sixteen trustees, an equal number of ministers and laymen, at the time of the opening of the school in 1890.

Original Trustees Who Were Laymen
Ministers
Laymen
I think they would be pleased

If these people could see the West Virginia Wesleyan College of today, and meet the faculty and students who are here now, I think they would be very pleased and proud. That is why I am inspired to keep Curating the Stories of the Dreamers and the Giants on DreamersAndGiants.com.

Leaders of the Band

Ron Sleeth

Ronald Sleeth was the Drum Major for four seasons: 1939, 1940, 1941, and 1942.

Right after that, there is no record of a marching band in the Murmurmontis in 1943 and it was not published in 1944, 1945, or 1946 due to World War II. 

WVWC Drum Major, 1942                            with Drum Majorette, Gloria Harvey

While at WVWC, Ron Sleeth was active in many areas of campus, showing great leadership along the way. Among his accomplishments and activities Ron was President of his class in 1938, President of Playshop in 1942, sang in the choir, played intramural sports,  and worked on the Pharos staff.

After his graduation, he went on to receive his Divinity Degree from Yale University in 1947. He served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy from 1945-46, and came back to WVWC to teach Speech from 1946-48.  He became an ordained Methodist Elder in 1947 before returning to academia to earn his masters and Ph.D. in Communication from Northwestern University. In 1976-77, he came back to WVWC once again to serve as the president of the college. Realizing that administration was not his passion, he stepped down after one year to go back to teaching and writing.

A true leader. Read more about him here.

After the war, various others served in student leadership capacity for a year or two, and under such titles a student director, drum major, and drum majorette. Each one had a different story about how they came to be chosen, different leadership styles, and different skills.

Maraching Band Murmurmontis 1950

Jude Gore

Jude Gore was the Drum Major of the Bobcat Marching band for four seasons: 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. Right after that, the marching band ceased to exist for 34 years. There was an upswing (pun intended) in interest for the Jazz Band, and that truly was the passion of David Milburn, professor and director of bands. Concert band and pep bands continued, but marching band did not.

After his graduation, he went on to have a very successful career in Music Education, and kept right on leading students through music for decades to come.

In the fall of 1978, Ron Sleeth and Jude Gore teamed up to direct the band in the stands at a football game. A true meeting of the minds!

2014 — They’re Back!

In 2014, the Bobcat Marching Band returned. It had only 25 members, but they were mighty! Doubling by the second year, and with steady growth each year, they are now marching about 100 and share their vast amount of school spirit with all of us. Since their return, they have been led by Drum Majors Christen Shell (2014, 205, 2016) and Patrick Withers (2017, 2018). This year, Cassidy Hoffman has been tapped for this leadership position. 

Band Camp 2019 with Drum Major Cassidy Hoffman

Drum Major 101

Each drum major

  • must earn and deserve the respect of those they lead
  • leads the band onto the field and keeps them all going in the right direction
  • keeps the band literally and figuratively on the same page
  • plays a crucial role in communication between band and band director
  • has the opportunity to facilitate change
  • needs to know music and marching drills inside and out – for all members

They are supportive, enthusiastic, prepared and professional.

They set a good example.

These are great life skills!!!

Here’s to a great year for the Bobcat Marching Band in 2019. Their new uniforms have been delayed in production, but hopes are to debut them later this season. And those who wear them will be taking the field under the leadership of Drum Major Cassidy Hoffman.

Dr. Robert Palmer has joined the Bobcat Bands in July 2022!

For more background about the history of the marching band, check out my blog post entitled The Band is Coming!